The global agtech industry is anticipated to reach €42bn in value by 2027 and it’s clear that Irish companies will be in a strong position to play a role in this. The growth in the global agtech market is rapid – it was valued at around €17bn in 2019.

The drive towards sustainability, climate change challenges, a greater move towards digitalisation and resource efficiency as well as a changing labour force are all factors leading to this rapid increase in innovation.

Ireland is no different in this regard. The 2022 ifac Irish farm report shows 32% of farmers use technology to increase efficiency and 21% use it to reduce labour.

However, Ireland is arguably very different when it comes to agtech startups/established companies and their global potential. Ireland is the digital technology hub of Europe. Eight of the top 10 US tech companies and 16 of the top 20 global software leaders are based here. Combined with our world class agricultural sector, the groundwork is firmly in place for Ireland to become a leader in the agtech industry.

Farm data

However, as farm digitalisation and technology use increases, so to do questions over the use of farm data. The results of the two-year Teagasc AgriDISCRETE project, which examined digitalisation and data use in Irish agriculture, were published this year.

The study found that farmers need to become more aware of the data on their farm, how it is used and its value.

We run through the main rules and regulations when piloting a drone in Ireland. Drone use has exploded over the past decade, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

We also profile companies and programmes aiming to use drones to improve the efficiency and sustainability of Irish agriculture.

We also profile industry group AgTech Ireland, as well as the winners of this year’s AgTechUCD innovation award.